IBA awarding Angela Carini with champion prize money after loss vs. Imane Khelif

On Aug. 1, Italian boxer Angela Carini withdrew from a bout against Algeria’s Imane Khelif in the 2024 Paris Olympics only 46 seconds into the match. Despite the loss, the International Boxing Association (IBA) will financially reward Carini as if she won the Olympic event.

“I couldn’t look at her tears,” IBA president Umar Kremlev said. “I am not indifferent to such situations, and I can assure that we will protect each boxer. I do not understand why they kill women’s boxing. Only eligible athletes should compete in the ring for the sake of safety.”

In 2023, Khelif reached the final of the 2023 world championships before being abruptly disqualified by the IBA (International Boxing Association). The IBA claimed Khelif did not meet gender requirements. Taiwan’s Lin Yu-Tang was also disqualified.

After the bout on Thursday, Carini called the bout “unfair.” Since then, Carini has apologized. However, her initial comments sparked an outcry, claiming Khelif should not be allowed to compete against other women at the Olympics.

On Thursday, the Paris Olympics Boxing Unit and the International Olympic Committee released a statement regarding the IBA’s previous disqualification of the two athletes.

“The current aggression against these two athletes is based entirely on this arbitrary decision, which was taken without any proper procedure – especially considering that these athletes had been competing in top-level competition for many years,” the statement read.

How much money will Angela Carini receive?

Kremlev also said that IBA will support Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan. Today, Turdibekova unanimously lost to Lin Yu-ting from Chinese Taipei. The IBA provided further details on how much money Carini and other victors at the Olympics will receive.

“As stated, all Paris gold medalists in the boxing tournament will receive a substantial financial reward of $100,000,” the IBA wrote. “Out of this amount, the athlete will receive $50,000, their National Federation will receive $25,000, and their coach will receive $25,000. For a silver medal, $50,000 prize money will be awarded, with the athlete receiving $25,000, and the remaining $25,000 being distributed evenly between the coach and the National Federation. For a bronze medal, we will provide $25,000, of which $12,500 will go to the athlete, and $12,500 will again be distributed evenly.

“Additionally, athletes who lost in the quarterfinals and finished 5th, will each receive $10,000 from IBA, making the total prize money fund commitment equaling more than $3.1 million USD distributed to over 100 boxers.”